Stray Kids love their songs: rising hip-hop group 1300 on their ‘instant’ connection, rapping in Korean and gaining Australian fans
- A rising Korean-Australian hip-hop group who rap mostly in Korean have won over superstars like K-pop act Stray Kids and found fans among Western audiences
- The members of 1300 reveal their ‘instant’ connection when they got together, talk about future plans and explain why Australia ‘is much more chill than Korea’
A rising Korean-Australian hip-hop group who have garnered praise from the likes of South Korean rapper Paloalto and K-pop boy band Stray Kids have found unlikely fans in Aussie listeners, showing that language is no barrier when it comes to good music.
The Sydney-based rap supergroup 1300, pronounced one-three-hundred, took the Australian music scene by storm with their breakthrough 2021 single “No Caller ID”. The members are a mix of Korean-Australian artists – producer-vocalist Nerdie, producer Pokari.sweat and rappers Rako, Goyo and Dali Hart – who came together in 2020.
“When we first came together, the connection was instant,” says Goyo in an interview with the Post. “We produced our first song in hours and it was an incredible feeling to have just made our first track where every part was entirely made by us.”
The group produced not one but “many” tracks during that first meeting, and they knew that they were on to something special.
With lyrics predominantly in Korean, the team assumed that to make it big would mean first establishing themselves in South Korea. Their strategy quickly changed when they gained the attention of fans and radio shows in Australia.
“Australian radio loved us and we didn’t expect it at all,” recalls Rako. “We mostly rap in Korean, so it was very surprising, but pleasant to realise that we could do that. It’s a bit of a cliché, but music really is the universal language.”
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For the group, becoming artists in Australia who make Korean music was something of a first, says Goyo.
“Most Korean artists ‘make it’ in South Korea first,” he explains. “But we are first gaining recognition in the West. Hopefully later on, we will gain recognition in South Korea too – I think if we do that, it will be quite amazing. It hasn’t really been done before.”
1300 are already making waves across the globe, with several international artists following them on social media. The group’s youngest member, Dali Hart, remembers when Korean rappers Lil Boi and Paloalto gave them a shout-out.
“Moments like that were surreal,” recalls Dali Hart.
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Rako agrees that the recognition from their fellow rappers in South Korea has made them hopeful that maybe they will one day make it big both in their hometown and across Asia.
This journey of realisation that they can attract non-Korean fans has become a big theme in their lyrics – on one of their tracks, fittingly entitled “Foreign Language”, Goyo raps: “they don’t know what we saying but they still jumping”, which reflects the impact they have had on Australian audiences.
In February, 1300 released a full length album entitled <3, which displays the variety of colour, beats and styles the team dabble in.
Nerdie and Pokari.sweat say the members are fans of many different artists and, when it comes to making their own, they are not afraid to try new styles.
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The group say they were surprised to have received such positive interest from their fellow Australians. Nerdie says that a one-month trip to South Korea solidified their desire to make it big in Australia before going abroad.
“Australia is much more chill than Korea,” says Nerdie. “It’s way easier to be an artist here and you feel you’re much more appreciated.” He adds that it felt more competitive in South Korea and it was more of a struggle to survive there without the openness and support they feel back home.
The supergroup are set to go on their first tour in Australia, and will be performing in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Tickets to their first shows in Melbourne and Sydney were sold out within hours, and the group had to quickly respond by adding two more shows.
“We hope to build this year, release more tracks, music videos, tour and hopefully join more music festivals,” says Pokari.sweat.
The group aspire to one day perform at international festivals and hold tours across the world, with Hong Kong, Thailand and the UK being their top destinations.
“Sometimes, we do mess things up and we’re still just learning stuff,” says Rako. “But we’re very excited for the future.”
